Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood produces, directs, stars and even sings the theme song in this fantastic movie about the clashes between cultures, and learning to accept them.

He plays Walt, a Vietnam veteran who is increasingly frustrated that his neighbourhood has been taken over by people of all different countires, leaving him to be one of the only caucasions left.
But when his neighbours nearly get kidnapped by a local asian gang, Walt intervenes, pulling out a massive gun saying what will be a future catchphrase of movie history "get off my lawn".
The gang backs off but threats are thrown back and forth such as a gang member saying "go back inside old man" and Walt replying with something along the lines of "yeah i'll blow your fucking head off then i'll go back inside and sleep just fine".

The gang drive off and the family are extremely thankful, to which Walt dissmisses.
He wakes up the next day and is disappointed to find that he has become a local hero and the asian community keep leaving gifts on his doorstep.
But after a while he strikes up a friendship with Soo, a young girl from next door, and she persuades him to teach her younger brother Thao a few life lessons.
Walt teaches Thao how to pick up girls, be a handyman around the house, talk like a man, and get a job, whilst Walt himself starts to enjoy the asian food, and thier culture.

It is a great tale of acceptance, and learning to have respect, and not to be fearful of things that are different. All this leads up to the final confrontation with the gang, and a twist ending that was quite brutal, but clever.

Even though it is a drama, it is still one of the funniet movies i have ever seen, as Walt comes up with every single derogatory nickname for an asian that you have ever heard. He calls it like it is.

The only problem i can think of is that Clint Eastwood has hinted that this may be his last acting movie. I have never been a huge fan until now, but like Shannon Harvey of the STM, i agree that even though Clint is 78, he is well and truly at the top of his game.

5/5

Brocky